The Secret of Julia Stiles
by GraceBe
Summary: A fatal attack on Erin Strauss leads Rossi, Hotch and the rest of the team into a nightmare of terrorism and family feuds. Any kind of review is highly appreciated! Finally finished!
1. Chapter 1

Here we go with a more or less new story fo centers around the whole BAU team as well as Erin Strauss and members of her family and a fatal web of schemes and emotions that could endanger the lives of thousand of people...

Disclaimer: I still don't own Criminal Minds and its characters - what is a shame actually. But as usual I had to add some original characters to drive the story along.

I also would like to add that I'm no Doctor (surprise!) and that since this is fiction, I took the freedom to use medical that might cannot occur the way, I describe them. I try to be as accurate as possible, but I can't guarantee for anything. I also placed buildings and people into locations that don't exist, but are needed to drive the story along.

**The Secret of Julie Stiles**

"_We dance round in a ring and suppose, While the secret sits in the middle and knows__" Robert Frost _

**Chapter 1**

**Behavior Analysis Unit**

**FBI Headquarter, Quantico, VA. **

The sudden development of heat was the result of the explosion. The walls of the parking lot started glowing and David Rossi could only flee behind the next car before the shock wave reached him. A storm of broken glass, metal and deafening noises crashed down around him, as he did his best to cover himself behind a van. The ugliest sound he heard, was the clashing of a body on the hard asphalt. He heard bones breaking and saw blood splashing.

"Federal agent down!" he yelled into his cell phone, before he dared to leave his hiding place.

It was after 9 p.m. The building was almost deserted. No one else but them was in the parking lot. When he reached Erin Strauss, she lay in a pool of shattered glass and pieces of metal – and blood. Scratches and glass fragments were spread all over face; small bloody wounds that ran over her skin like tears.

"Erin," he addressed her shaken. "Can you hear me?"

She groaned. Relieved she wasn't dead, he bent over her. "Can you move?"

"Don't… think… so…"

He lifted his head. Her jeep was a burning mess of metal. She had already been in the car, when he had left the elevator. When she had seen him, she had yelled after him and had climbed out of the car again. That was the only reason the car bomb had failed its purpose so far.

"The ambulance will be here soon! Don't move!"

Despite his order, she turned her head a little. Her blue eyes searched for his, pleading for help, as if it was in his power to save her. He touched her wrist. Her skin was cold.

"David…"

"Yes?"

"My purse…" He looked up. Her personal belongings were spread all over the floor. "Take it… please, before someone else…" Her blue eyes flickered and he realized she was about to lose consciousness. Her strength was leaving her and Erin Strauss was stronger than anybody else he knew. He nodded and started quickly to collect her keys, her cell, her iphone, and her wallet. Dave returned to her side. Her eyes were now closed. With rising panic he checked her pulse. She was still alive, but very weak.

"Erin, don't you dare to die on me!" He felt helpless. He hadn't seen it coming. No threat, no warning, not even a hint. Had she known she was in danger? Even if, she wouldn't have told anyone. She was a pain in the ass. A know-it-all and a busybody of the worst sort. She would have kept it to herself. And now she was dying.

But not today, he thought grimly. The woman couldn't dare to steal herself out of their lives like this. Dave thought of the last few weeks and the huge responsible she had placed on his shoulders. He thought of the nights he hadn't slept and the days he had spent hunting her ghosts. If she died now, it would have been for nothing.

"Erin! Talk to me!"

He touched her cheek, her hair without caring for her warm blood that was covering his hands and quickly soaking his sleeves . Her mouth opened, but her voice was thin.

"Stiles…" she whispered. "Julia Stiles. Save her."

Then her body relaxed and her head fell on the side, resting in his hands. David lost his color and it seemed the parking lot was swirling around him.

"ERIN!"

~tbc~


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to everyone who commented, alerted and read the first chapter of this story. Here's the next installment. Enjoy! _

**Chapter 2**

**Potomac Hospital **

Dave sat in the waiting area of the hospital, clinging to a cold coffee. He was too tired for words. Erin wasn't dead. The paramedics had detected a pulse and brought her into a hospital that was specialized on injuries of the spine. That had been over an hour ago and since then he had been waiting without hearing a word from a doctor or a nurse. He had called Hotch, had tried to reach Erin's husband, but could only talk to the answering machines in her house. The waiting drove him almost insane. He had never been a particularly patient man, though he always tried to appear like one.

"Dave!" Aaron Hotchner rushed down the empty hallway, still wearing his suit, though he had already been home when Dave had called him. The man never gave it a rest and had insisted he would come.

"Hotch!"

"How is she?" Hotch asked, worried.

"No idea… they don't tell me a thing."

"Could you reach her husband or her children?"

"No. I don't even know where her children live and her husband wasn't in his office and not a home. Anything about the bomb?"

"Not yet, but that wasn't the work of an amateur. Seems the bomb was under the passengers seat when it went off. Garcia is checking the security tapes… but the camera was destroyed during the explosion." Hotch shook his head. "Strauss was lucky. If she had been in the car, we wouldn't have to wait here now."

Dave rubbed his face. "She was already in the car when I arrived down there. Then she saw me, called me…" he frowned. "Imagine I had her ignored like I usually do… she was on her way to me when the car exploded."

Hotch gave him a sympathetic look.

"You were both lucky."

Dave shook his head. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Any idea what she wanted from you?"

"No." That was a lie. He had an idea why she had wanted to talk to him, but that was hardly something he could tell Hotch right now.

"Agent Rossi?"

Hotch and Dave turned around, surprised. In the middle of the hallway stood a tall man in a gray suit and a large briefcase in his hand. Though he had never seen him in person Dave recognized the man's features. His face was to be found on some of the countless family photos in Erin's office. William Strauss, Erin's husband, CEO of Kruger Unlimited and a handful of other companies Dave couldn't name.

"That's me. This is SSA Hotchner. Mr. Strauss?"

"Exactly."

Hotch and Strauss nodded at each other. Dave watched Erin's husband with growing curiosity. The man appeared calm, collected and not overly worried. Maybe ha had no idea how bad the condition of his wife was, but then how calm could a man be who had received the message his wife had been injured by a car bomb? Instinctively, David decided to be on his toes.

"I got your message when I came home. Where's my wife?"

"Probably in surgery. The doctors won't talk to me. She was badly injured."

"A car crash?" Mild curiosity.

"A car bomb," Dave corrected him sharply.

"Are you sure?"

Dave raised his eyebrows. "I was around when the car was blown up, which makes me quite sure it was a bomb. I also told you so when I spoke with your answering machine at home."

Strauss smiled mildly. "My secretary reached me after you and one of your higher bosses called my office. She only told me Erin had an accident."

"I see… well, it was no accident. Your wife is the victim of a crime."

Strauss nodded, still unmoved. "I've always told Erin her job was too dangerous. If you'll excuse me now… I'll go and search for a doctor."

"He's the caring kind, as I see," Hotch commented dryly, after Strauss had gone. "Do they have problems?"

"You know Erin. Who doesn't have problems with her?" David returned.

"Maybe we should go now," Aaron suggested. "He's here now and we have work to do. The case was assigned to us and the others are already checking the evidence."

"Not yet," Dave mused. "The guy makes me curios." Hotch wrinkled his forehead, but didn't object. He pulled out his cell phone. "I'll be right back."

While Hotch was calling Garcia, Dave watched Strauss as he talked first to a nurse and decided to join him when finally a doctor arrived.

"Are you Erin's husband?" the doctor asked, wiping his sweaty forehead.

Strauss nodded. "I am. How's she?"

"Quite bad. She has received several bad injuries along her spine. She's still unconscious and has lost a lot of blood."

Dave frowned and looked down on his hands. They had been covered with Erin's blood.

"Can you help her?" Strauss asked.

"We are helping her," the doctor snapped annoyed. "As soon as we've stabilized her, she'll undergo surgery and we'll try to remove the metal parts that have damaged her lumber vertebras."

Dave swallowed. "That's a risky surgery, right?"

The doctor nodded. "She could remain paralyzed, but the x-rays look as there's a good chance for her to recover completely… unless…"

"Unless what?" Strauss asked.

"As I said, she's weak and she's lost a lot of blood."

Hotch returned, the cell still in his hand. He remained behind Dave, attentively listening.

"Keep me informed," Strauss ordered and added half hearted. "Do whatever you can to save her."

"I will." The doctor turned, then he decided otherwise and asked. "When the paramedics arrived, your wife woke up for a short time… she was asking for someone…"

"And who?"

Dave watched Strauss closely. For the very first time, the man actually seemed interested in what the doctor had to say to him.

"Julia Stiles. Does that ring a bell?"

Strauss shook his head, but before he could answer the doctor's question, Dave jumped in. "That's a case we discussed this afternoon. Maybe she was just mixing things up."

The doctor shrugged. "That's possible. All right. I have to go now."

"We have to go as well," Hotch announced, glancing at Dave. "Garcia found something."

"Is this connected to my wife?" Strauss asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer this question right now," Hotch answered, already on his way out. "As soon as we know something we'll call you."

In the elevator Hotch turned to Rossi. "Julia Stiles? What kind of case should that be?"

"I can't tell you that, Aaron," Rossi said, avoiding a straight answer. "Just be patient with me."

"So it's something that's connected to the attack?"

"Possibly." Then Dave changed the subject. "So what did Garcia find out that you didn't want to tell Strauss?"

"Garcia could identify the person who placed the bomb in Erin's car. Morgan and Prentiss are already on their way to arrest her."

"Her? It's a she?"

"Yes." Hotch said sternly. "And she's one of us."

* * *

**Blue Ridge Mountains, West Virginia**

He dropped his cup. Coffee spilled over the floor and his pants. He saw the news on the small TV screen and forgot to breathe. He hadn't seen it coming. Not so fast, not so mercilessly and cruel. Suddenly feeling like a coward, because he was sitting in a safe, abandoned place, he decided to spit on the coffee and the right moment to act. His time had come.

The guy on the radio couldn't say if the high ranking FBI agent was alive or if she had become the victim of an accident, but according to their sources the woman was still fighting for her life after an explosion in the FBI headquarters in Quantico.

"Seems nothing's sacred anymore," he mumbled and decided to leave immediately.

**~tbc~**


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks to everybody who comments, alerts and reads this story! Your reviews mean a lot to me! _

**Chapter 3**

**Behavior Analysis Unit, FBI Headquarters, Quantico**

"What did you find out?" Hotch asked Garcia, as he and Dave stormed into Garcia's bunker, where the young, red-headed computer freak was the unquestioned goddess of bits and keys.

"Have a wonderful evening and no I don't mind working at this hour. Actually, witching hour is my favorite time of the day." Garcia swirled her chair around and pointed at the screen over her left shoulder. "And now fasten your seat belts, gentlemen! The show is really mind blowing… sorry for the slip. It doesn't happen too often that you feel sorry for someone you generally dislike. And now look at this!"

Dave and Hotch obeyed and looked up to one of Garcia's countless screens. Even with the childish decoration and the colorful woman in charge, the darkness of the room was always a burden.

"I think the bitch's someone we know, isn't she?"

Half an hour before the car exploded, the camera had taped a woman who carried a large briefcase to Erin Strauss's car and opened the passengers door with a car key.

"That's Tiffany!" Dave yelled. "That's Erin new assistant! She must have stolen her car keys." And the briefcase looked like Erin's, but Rossi preferred not to mention this right now.

"Maybe Strauss told her to bring the briefcase to her car… She trusted her," Hotch remarked thoughtfully. He was highly concentrated, his body tensed while his eyes never left the screen, scanning every detail and every movement of the young, female assassin.

The whole procedure of unloading and placing the contents of the briefcase took less than one minute. Then the woman left the scene, obviously without feeling rushed and unnoticed.

"Why is she so calm?" Rossi wondered. "She must have known about the cameras."

"Who knows… I can only tell you one thing," Garcia said with some pride in her voice. "If the bureau had allowed me to perform a background check on her before they placed her in Strauss's antechamber, I would have told them, that Tiffany Granger hadn't even existed until one year ago. Her records are fake… her name, her birthday, everything! I wonder if her body belongs to her. Before she came to Quantico, the lady's name had been Marsha Miller and Trisha Bernstein. Both have done time in different states prisons for robbery."

"From robbery to killing is a large step," Hotch objected. "What else do we know about her?"

"According to her bank account, she did it for money," Garcia explained while her fingers violated her keyboard. "I checked her financial background. Two days ago she received 500.000 bucks and immediately transferred them to another bank on the Caymans where she uses another false name."

"Can you trace the money?"

"I tried, but at some point the trace ends up in a letterbox company in Kansas. I'm still checking it, but I think it's a dead end. Whoever did this knew how to cover up their traces. And now…"

Garcia fast forwarded the tape until Erin Strauss appeared on the scene. The trio watched Strauss approaching the car and climbing inside. Garcia zoomed at her face. "There she got a phone call," Garcia commented. "Then she hung up, and there she must see someone, because she unfastens her seat belt and leaves the car."

"That's me," Dave confirmed. "She wanted to talk to me."

"And then boom."

As always when horror filled her screens and she could avoid facing it, Garcia looked away. When the car exploded, Dave closed his eyes. He still heard the ugly sound as her body crashed onto the asphalt. He would never forget it.

"The explosion destroyed the camera and they didn't find her cell phone in the car or between her other belongings," Hotch explained and turned to Dave. "Was there anybody else around when you found her?

Dave shook his head. "No, we were alone."

"Did you see her cell phone?" Hotch asked, more insistent this time.

"No!" David denied, louder than he had intended.

Hotch glared angrily at Dave, but said nothing. Dave stared back, unwilling to break the eye contact. Garcia who noticed the tension between the men, interfered and said slowly, "Could be useful to know who called her. Maybe someone warned her… or the call was the fuse…Morgan said it's possible…"

David thought about the contents of his pocket. Suddenly the weight of the iphone and the other cell seemed heavier than a rock. What if he was carrying the fuse around? What if he was holding back evidence?

_Forget the "what if, Rossi"_, he … himself. _You are holding back evidence_.

Garcia was rerunning the tape and zoomed on Strauss's face when she took the call.

"There she finishes… and look, she put it back in her purse… and she takes it with her, when she leaves the car. It has to be somewhere."

Hotch's eyes lay on Dave and the older man knew his party was over and it was time to pay for the music.

"My office, Dave. Now."

* * *

On their way to Hotch's office, the men didn't speak much. David didn't like the way Hotch treated him. After all they had been through David felt he deserved a little more trust. The way Hotch acted, one could think David had planted the bomb in Erin's car and not her criminal secretary.

After a while of useless and disturbing silence, Dave cleared his throat. "Did you hear anything from Prentiss or Morgan?"

"Not yet."

Hotch's cell rang and he stopped to take the call. "Speaking of then devil… It's Morgan. Yes?"

"Hotch? We've got a problem here…" The announcement didn't sound promising.

"What kind of problem?"

"Tiffany is dead. Looks like suicide, but if you ask me…" Morgan's voice trailed off.

"Pay killing?"

"Absolutely possible. She hung herself in her living room, but the chair she would have needed isn't tall enough considering how long the robe around her neck was. Otherwise there are no traces that could prove this theory."

"Thanks Morgan. Check her place. We need to know everything about her!"

Hotch gave Dave a look. "Tiffany's dead."

"Suicide?"

"No. Somebody killed her." Then he dialed Garcia's number. "Garcia, I want you to check on Tiffany's accounts. I have the feeling someone will try to get their money back!"

* * *

One minute later, Hotch had closed the door behind them.

"I don't liked to be fooled, Dave. Just give me everything you took from the crime scene and we'll forget about this!"

Dave narrowed his eyes.

"Hotch, I told you…"

"I don't buy it!" Hitch snapped angrily. "In case you haven't noticed the seriousness of this, I can explain it to you again! A high ranking FBI agent had been blown up in her car and we don't know if that isn't the last attack on a federal agent or this bureau! If you're hiding evidence, you'll make yourself an accomplice!"

Of course, Hotch was right. Rossi knew that. It was Aaron's job to lead this investigation, but for him things weren't that easy. He had a problem. He had given his word to a dying woman that he wouldn't let her down, and he knew Erin had never meant to involve Hotch and the rest of the team.

If he only knew whether the attack was connected to Julia Stiles or not… it all depended on her name in this game. Dave sighed and made a decision.

"All right," Dave said pressed and pulled out Erin's iphone. The other cell phone remained in his pocket.

Hotch took the iphone, visibly disappointed.

"You know better than that!"

"I made her a promise," David said, knowing how lame he sounded.

Hotch shook his head. "You made her a promise… I know she doesn't trust me, but that you don't trust me either…" he didn't finish the sentence.

"I could tell you the same thing."

"I do trust you… if I didn't, you would sit in the interrogation room right now, asking some questions that'll be far more uncomfortable than this one. What's going on between you and Strauss?"

Dave sighed, unhappy. Answering this question wasn't easy, if not impossible.

"That's private, Aaron."

Rossi bent his head, hoping to avoid Hotchs' eyes, but he felt them nevertheless, felt the disbelief in them and the disgust.

"I assume who or whatever Julia Stiles is, is at least involved in any of this, right?"

It was another question, Dave didn't want to answer now. At least not now.

"I just need a few hours, Aaron" he said, when he looked up again. "in a few hours, I can tell you everything."

Twenty minutes later, Dave entered his office. His head ached and he tried to make an impossible decision. He held Erin's second cell phone in his hand. He had checked the last incoming calls. Aside from his number there were just two other numbers who had called Erin in the past. One had called her regularly, the other one just one time – right before the car had been blown up. He knew he needed to bring the damn thing to the lab for a check, but… a few hours. He had told Hotch, he would need a few hours. That meant he had to go now.

Damn, what had he done when he had agreed to help her? Strauss of all people. He rubbed his face and felt suddenly old and out of energy. What had he thought when he had allowed her to lure him into her web? Why had he promised to help her?

Erin had approached him in a night like this when she had asked for his assistance.

When the bullpen was almost deserted, she had entered his office, had locked the door and had lowered the blinders, asking for a conversation in private…

* * *

"_That's as private as it gets, Erin," he answered. "What do you want?" As always he didn't pay her one more look than necessary. To get along with her meant for him to keep an dismissive attitude towards her. _

"_I need help and I need it from someone who isn't afraid." _

_The statement caused him to grin. "Someone who isn't afraid of you?" _

"_If necessary, yes." _

_Up to this moment, he had thought he knew Erin Strauss. He had thought he had seen right through her decades ago when he had been her training agent and boss and that there were no hidden layers underneath her thin skin. _

_She was about to prove him wrong and he had the impression she was enjoying every minute of it. Fighting for the upper hand was a game they both enjoyed and lived for. _

_Five minutes later she finished her unusual proposal with an even more unusual invitation. _

"_Don't answer me today and not here. Think about it." _

"_And if I'm interested?" _

_In her high heels she was tall enough to look him straight into his eyes. She gave him a smile, took his face into her hands and kissed him. It wasn't the insecure, testing kind of kiss one would expect as a first intimate gesture. Erin Strauss had chosen the fierce, ardent variation that completely caught him off guard and made him hard, before he knew what happened to him. Acting on pure instinct he grabbed her; one hand in her hair, the other one on her hip. He had no idea if she had simply guessed the content of his favorite sexual fantasies or if her blitz attack was just a coincidence, but in the end the intention wasn't what counted. It was the desire to do something unforgivable. _

_Before she left his office, her mouth came to rest on his ear. "Let me know your decision by the weekend." _

_Later he found a note in the pocket of his jacket. Erin Strauss ordered him to a lonely place somewhere in the mountains. _

_**~tbc~**_


	4. Chapter 4

_Dedicated to my wonderful beta Gemenied_

**Chapter 4**

**Behavior Analysis Unit, FBI Headquarters, Quantico**

"Garcia, I need you to check on a name. Julia Stiles."

Hotch talked to Gracia on his cell. He stood in the parking lot where the explosion had taken place. The forensic experts were still around, busy collecting evidence and taking photos of every detail of the destroyed place. As a profiler, Hotch felt the need to be at the crime scene, because he had to understand what had happened and how. He also needed his time to think about Rossi. His best friend was hiding something from him and he didn't like his behavior one bit and it didn't ease his fear that Rossi had been Strauss's partner in crime.

The last few weeks, he had noticed a change in their behavior and their interaction with each other and had thought they had eventually started an affair. Rossi was famous for his relationships with women he shouldn't have touched in the first place, but the closer he had watched them, the more he had come to the conclusion that sex wasn't the trigger in their relationship. Or at least not the only one. Attraction was one thing, risking one's life another one.

Yet, it was private… and who was Julia Stiles? And why didn't Erin Strauss's husband care for her condition? And where had Dave left about 25 minutes ago and why in such a hurry?

As always Penelope Garcia was the woman to answer those questions.

"Okay, Boss… there are three women in and around Washington who carry that name. Which one do we need?"

"Look for one Rossi has called or is in contact with somehow."

"Is she one of his ex-wives?" Garcia asked, giggling.

"I doubt it." But under normal circumstances that would have been his first question.

"Bingo, there's a cell registered in her name. Rossi has called her several times in the last few weeks."

"Where does she live?"

"Let me see… she owns one practice in D.C. and she recently bought a cabin in the middle of nowhere."

"What kind of practice?"

"She's a psychiatrist… no driver's license, but hell… she's a rich cookie. She has several bank accounts. All together she owns over three million Dollars. Apparently she's British… born in Plymouth in 1959, came to the US about 20 years ago. Unmarried, no children, but a library card… I guess we all need a hobby."

"Interesting. Now I need you to do me another favor…"

He heard his technical analyst chuckling. "I'm already checking the whereabouts of Rossi's cell via GPS. I'll send you the coordinates."

"Thanks Garcia and there's something else I want you to look for."

"That's quite a list, Honey."

"And it'll get longer soon… William Strauss. See what you can find out about him."

* * *

**Blue Ridge Mountains**

As David entered the cabin he instantly knew, someone had been in here before he had arrived. His gun ready, he switched on the lights and checked every inch of the small refuge in the woods. The bed had been used, the coffee in the cup on the kitchen table was cold and there was a large spot of dried coffee on the floor. Whoever had left this cabin, had left in a hurry. Otherwise his instinct told him he was alone now.

According to Erin no one else knew about this place, but whoever had been here, had felt quite comfortable and since the lock and the windows were intact the chance for a forced entrance was quite low.

Dave lowered the gun and started searching the cabin. He knew Erin had hidden every piece of information she had dug out during her research in this cabin. It taken him several visits to this place before she had told him, where he could find the files in case something happened to her.

In case something happened to her… The words echoed in his head and refilled his guilt. Maybe they hadn't been careful enough

Erin Strauss had never trusted anyone and even though he had learned to understand why, he had tried to change her mind. Now that she was fighting for her life, he saw her secrecy in a new light. She had asked him to save her mission. He owed her that after everything she had been through.

He wasn't sorry for lying to his unit chief, but he certainly regretted that he had disappointed his best friend. But Hotch was another matter; one he could deal with later.

Hotch had killed George Foyet, after he had killed Haley. He would understand why Erin had wanted her revenge as well.

He opened a dresser next to the window and pulled out the drawer. Then he took out the next one and another one until he had access to a small hidden door in the back of the board. One minute later he held the product of his joint venture with Erin Strauss in his hand: a file named William Strauss.

* * *

There was no need for Hotch to rush. There was just one road that led to Julia Stiles' cabin and Rossi had probably reached his destination by now. Even if he left the cabin again until Hotch reached him there, he would have to use the same route as before. It was almost 6 a m and he stopped at a gasoline station to get himself and Dave a coffee. According to his navigation system he would reach his destination in about 10 minutes. The right time for breakfast. As he waited for the coffee, he suddenly had an idea that could confirm his suspicion before he had to force it out of Rossi. He addressed the clerk behind the counter, a young man in his mid twenties with long hair and a large tooth gap.

"Excuse me… I'm searching for a friend of mine. My brother told me she had moved up here into a cabin. Maybe you know her."

The man grinned. "Why not. Give it a try."

"She's about 5'6 tall, has shoulder long, blond hair, piercing blue eyes. She wears expensive clothes and has a severe no nonsense attitude and only orders espresso without sugar. When she does her grocery it's obvious, she's living alone and she always pays cash."

"Not young but quite hot for her age?" the young man asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes." Hotch couldn't deny that, though he liked to push the thought away.

"That's Miss Stiles. She's living about 5 miles from here, but only at the weekends." The man gave him the coffee and Hotch tipped him generously.

"So my brother was right then," Hotch smiled. "Thanks. And have a nice day."

* * *

After Dave had finished searching the whole place to make sure he hadn't missed anything, he took his time to inspect the collected material. Erin had been extremely careful. Every note, every sheet was handwritten. There were no electronic copies. One file caught his special attention, because a great deal of its contents was new to him. The one thing that wasn't new to him at all, was the handwriting. Stumbling over the well-known letters came as a surprise to him, but on the other hand he should have known better. Again he came to the conclusion that he had underestimated Erin Strauss and her ability to get what she wanted.

"You look as if you could need a coffee."

Dave looked up and froze. Hotch stood in the open door, two coffees in his hand and one of his rare smiles on his face. Dave on the other hand lost his color.

"Hotch! What are you doing here?"

"The same as you…. Searching for answers!"

* * *

**Potomac Hospital, Intensive Care**

Many people didn't like hospitals and he could easily count himself in. He hated the smell, the noises, the uniforms and the lingering threat of death. And right now everything he hated about them, was gathered in this one room.

Half an hour ago, Erin Strauss had been brought back to intensive care. The surgery had been more or less successful. The surgeon could remove the fragments of metal that had injured her lumbar vertebrae, but they had lost her two times during surgery. As a result Erin Strauss had slipped into a comatose condition and there was no way the doctors could promise she would ever regain consciousness.

He had been sitting at her bed for almost 15 minutes now. He hadn't dared to hold her hand, but to his astonishment he found himself wanting to touch her. They had never been particularly close, had never trusted one another completely, though the professional respect had never been an issue between them. Funny how relationships worked and developed when nobody expected them to grow.

He checked his watch and decided that it was time to go. He had no intention to meet Erin's husband or another member of her family in case one of them showed up. He got rid off the scrubs, thanked the guard for allowing him in and left the hospital wing as quickly as possible. He was lucky. As he left the building he almost collided with William Strauss who carried a beautiful bouquet with red roses on his arms. He avoided Erin's husband with the same trained elegance he had been avoiding him for the last couple of weeks, in which he had observed him.

**~tbc~**

**Thanks to everybody who took their time to read. A little feedback on this puppy would be really appreciated!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks again to my faithful beta Gemenied, who knows how to challenge me ;-)_

**Chapter 5**

_Blue Ridge Mountains_

If Dave was honest with himself he should have known Hotch wouldn't accept any excuses for not telling him the whole and utter truth about his and Erin's secret, but he had to admit that Hotch had instincts a seer would be proud of.

"_I guess that's why there'll never be a suitable replacement for Hotch in the BAU," _Rossi thought grimly.

The younger man watched Rossi with open curiosity and Rossi was glad that at least the shadow of disappointment had vanished from his face.

"So, will you care to tell me, why Strauss has created a second identity for herself, obviously likes to hide in here and why you of all people are involved in this?"

Dave hesitated which, of course, didn't go unnoticed by Hotch.

"Come on, Dave… Garcia already thinks you're hiding one of your ex-wives up here."

Dave sighed wearily. He certainly had to talk to Garcia about her skills and how she should use them.

"First of all, you shouldn't have involved her in this and secondly, I don't have the intention to answer your questions, because this is getting a little too personal."

Hotch cocked his eyebrow, almost offended. "Give me a little credit, Dave… if all this were about hiding your affair with Strauss, she wouldn't need to invent a new identity and buy this place. Why should the two of you go through all this effort when you could meet in one of the countless storage rooms after office hours?"

"A storage room? You sound as you if knew what you're talking about."

He knew there was no use in lying to Hotch, but Dave couldn't help but to find the idea of Hotch and a girlfriend hiding in a storage room pretty amusing. Hotch, on the other hand, didn't find it funny at all.

"Dave… what's going on here? I thought you trusted me!"

"This isn't about trust! I can't tell you… I promised her not to involve the rest of the team and after what happened to her, I think her request was more than reasonable."

"You're part of the team, which means the team is already involved."

All for one and one for all. Dumas wrote it, the BAU lived up to it. The story was old, but that didn't mean it had lost its semen of truth. Rossi sighed.

"It's not your burden to back."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

* * *

"_I'll let you be the judge of this," Erin said, as she handed David a file. He took it without hesitation. Once he had agreed to meet Erin in her cabin, there had been no doubt for him that he would go through with anything that waited there for him. The good, bad and the ugly. He still had no idea why she had chosen him, but he was sure, he wouldn't have to wait much longer to learn the answer to that question. _

_So far he liked what he had found in the woods. The cabin was small, a lot smaller than anything he had expected, but the interior was cozy and elegant. Erin's taste had always been expensive. As a child of rich parents the woman was always aware of her status and that was always mirrored in her appearance and in her choice of the people she liked to surround herself with. She had also married a man that perfectly fit into the image. William Strauss was a rich, egomaniac bastard. The one thing that didn't sum up and never had was her choice to work for the FBI and in a unit that usually dealt with the worst scum mankind produced. Dave used to see it as a milestone on her way to the top, but she had been Section Chief for quite some time and he had never heard or noticed any sign from her side about stepping up in the chain of command. _

_He watched Erin as she walked back to the kitchenette where two glasses and a bottle of wine waited on the kitchen counter. With her tight, black jeans and a sweater that exposed a great deal of her naked shoulder, her looks were almost casual. Yet the image was disturbed by her light, but perfect make up and her carefully arranged hair. David had been married too often and had had too many lovers not to recognize the perfect set up for a seduction when he faced one. But he wouldn't trade any kind of favor for sex, no matter how tempting the offer was. _

"_Do you want some wine?" she asked and he was sure, she was aware of his curios glances. _

"_Depends… is it Italian?" _

"_Of course." _

_He gave her a shameless grin. "You really think you know how do to get me, don't you?" _

_When she looked up and their eyes met across the room, his smile froze. He suddenly had the feeling to face a complete stranger and not the person he had known for almost 30 years. _

_She had always been a self-confident and attractive woman, but never the kind who used her beauty to push her career. Spreading her legs to succeed in something had never been her style, so why was she doing it now?_

_There had been many times, especially when they both had been younger - and he much more adventurous- when he had wished he could seduce her the way he had seduced many other women, but the desire for her had subsided with her change into the kind of agent he despised. _

_He had hated that the woman he had trained had become a bureaucrat and a politician who used other people like figures in a chess game. But now she almost looked like the young woman he had craved all those years ago. _

_She approached him with slow, confident steps and gave him a glass with red wine. He noticed that the dark liquid matched the color of her lipstick and he fought the sudden need to run his thumb over her lips. _

"_Actually… I think I already have." _

_His irritation grew, but he decided to taste the wine to cover up his _

"_And now?" he asked, after he had taken a first sip of wine. Erin gave him a wide smile. _

"_And now, I'll leave you alone with your thoughts on the file I gave you." _

_With that she grabbed her jacket and left the cabin. _

_

* * *

_

"So?" Hotch asked, after they had finished the coffee. "Do you care to explain to me what is going on?"

"As I told you…"

Hotch had enough. He raised his hand, demanding silence from Rossi.

"I can call Garcia and she can find out anything I need to know, but I think I deserve to hear it from you." Hotch leaned forward and looked David straight in the eyes. "Erin Strauss almost died last night and if she means something to you, what which seems to be the case, you should help me to solve this crime, instead of working against me. What's in the files she's hiding in here?"

He pointed onto the folders in front of Dave.

"It's complicated, Hotch. I'm not even sure, this file is connected to the car bombing!"

"And what if? Will you feel better, if we just ignore this and wait for the next attempt to kill her?"

"Of course not."

"So, what's keeping you from telling me the truth?"

Dave showed Hotch the file and pointed on William Strauss's name.

"You see this? But the contents of this file is not only incriminating her husband," Dave started to explain. "It also uncovers a series of events that could discredit her as well… when this kind of information gets into wrong hands, it could destroy her reputation and what's left of her family."

"On my way here, I got a message from Reid. Strauss's in coma. If she ever wakes up again, her reputation will be the last thing on her mind and I doubt lies can save the destiny of a family."

Rossi's face lost its color. "She's in coma?"

"Yes."

"She'll wake up." Deep down inside he believed that she had just decided to hide until she would be safe again. When it came to survival Erin was two-faced. Coward and fighter, trapped in one skin.

"Possibly. And if not, you possibly will let her husband get away with something, she considered worthy enough to conduct a secret investigation." Hotch pointed again at the file. Dave, if this man is a criminal and tried to kill his wife, we have to catch him!"

"She's surrounded by security," Dave returned. "No one will dare to kill her right now… whoever did this, hired a secretary to place a bomb in her car. Only a coward does something like this, not a person who will kill somebody with his bare hands. She's safe where she is."

Silence fell and replaced the distrustful atmosphere with some kind of peace, when Dave decided to open up to Hotch.

"What do you need to know?"

"Why did she set up a second ID?"

"Basically, because she wanted cover her traces."

"What kind of traces?"

"Money transfer, investigations…"

Hotch got impatient, "Dave, I need details."

"I made a promise to her."

"Do you really think who ever tried to kill her, will hesitate to kill you?"

The question caused Dave to grin. "You know, when Erin asked for my help she mentioned that she needed someone who isn't afraid… what do I have to lose, Hotch? My life? My reputation? Erin knew why to pick me… because I don't care for such things."

There was no time for Aaron to return something, because his cell phone rang. "It's Morgan," he announced and answered the call.

"What is it?"

"You won't believe what we found out," Morgan said agitated. "We could figure out what kind of bomb was used. The iphone wasn't the fuse, but it was definitely set off by an electromagnetic wave , so we assumed the call Strauss got was made to another cell phone which is still missing."

"Go on, Morgan," Aaron said and placed the cell on the table. "Dave's here as well."

"Garcia had an idea and did some digging… Guess what she found out? Someone called the number of Julia Stiles about one minute before the bomb went off. So how fat is the chance that Strauss had the cell phone of the mysterious Miss Stiles?"

Hotch gave Rossi a cold look.

"Pretty big, I assume."

"What else do you know?" Dave asked.

Now it was Reid who answered the question, "The substance that was used for the bomb has been developed by a company associated with Kruger Unlimited. An armory that works exclusively for the government – at least most of the time. As a matter of fact, the stuff's still in experimental stage, because there has been a lot trouble with its effects as well as with the security. Rumor has it that groups associated with Al Quaida have tried to steal test samples of it, but that it was never confirmed by anyone and the deeper we dig, the more secretive it gets."

"William Strauss is CEO of Kruger Unlimited," Hotch said, shooting a meaningful glance at Rossi.

"Yes, but it gets even better, Boss," Garcia interfered. "The Mommy of this explosive baby is Rachel Strauss. She's the Queen of the lab and was the mastermind behind this cocktail that almost sent our Miss Strauss into the clouds."

Dave leaned back, astonished about the news.

"And Rachel is related to the Chief?" Hotch asked.

"Rachel is her daughter, born in1981, doctorates in Chemics, Physics and Biology… seems she has no life – just like Reid, and she and Mommy don't get along. Now that's a surprise… "

"But she works for her father."

"Yep."

"And where is she now?" Dave wanted to know.

"She's in Europe… she's been lecturing in Oxford for the last 3 months, but she's on her way home and should arrive in less than four hours."

"We should talk to her," Hotch decided. "Morgan, Prentiss, pick her up and Reid, you try and find out everything about the company, the lab and the people who are working in there."

"And Garcia.."

"Yes, Boss?"

"You keep digging in the Strauss's family life and you help Reid."

"Okidoki."

Hotch finished the call with a grave expression on his face.

"You heard what they said… the material they used for the bomb was more or less owned by the government. Do you still think, you've got the time to play games and keep promises you shouldn't have made in the first place?"

Dave rubbed his eyes and took the files. He hadn't foreseen this development and it made him short of breath to think that one of Erin's kids could be involved in the attempt to kill her.

"I'll tell you everything on our way back to Quantico."

**~tbc~**


	6. Chapter 6

_A big thank you goes to my wonderful beta who does her best to make my writing betetr than it is. And another big thank you goes to the everybody who reads and especially to those who take their time to leave a comment on this story! _

**Chapter 6**

**BAU, FBI Headquarters, Quantico**

When Morgan and Prentiss returned from the airport, where they had picked up Rachel Strauss, Rossi and Hotch were ready to present the case of Julia Stiles. Everybody but Rossi was sitting at the table, waiting for the oldest team member to brief them about the contents of the files that had been hidden in Erin Strauss's cabin.

"We brought Dr. Strauss into the interrogation room, like you said," Emily told Rossi. "But I doubt she'll be waiting there for long. She's quite upset, because she was told her mother was the victim of a car accident. She didn't expect to find herself picked up by the FBI."

"What's your impression about her?" Hotch asked.

Morgan sank into his chair with a loud sigh. "I've no idea… she appears sincere, but there's something about her that makes it hard to judge her."

"She's like her mother," Prentiss explained coldly. "Tough, independent and quite aware of who she is and…" she hesitated, then she made up her mind and added, "And the rest you'll see… you could end up surprised, because compared to what Garcia thought at first, Rachel seems to have a life."

Her cryptic remark caused Rossi to arch his eyebrows, but he would deal with Rachel later.

"You told her about the bomb?" Rossi asked instead.

"Not yet," Morgan informed him. "That's a piece of cake we left to you."

"All right," Hotch said quickly. " We take care of her when we're through here. It's crucial for us to know what we're dealing with before we talk to Rachel. Dave, please start!"

"What I'm telling you now, is something you won't find in any database or other records in this world. Oh, and Garcia?"

"Yes, Sir?" Penelope looked up from her screen.

"I don't want you to make notes that end up in the system of the FBI. Is that possible?"

"No problem, Sir."

She closed her laptop and showed him her pen. "I didn't learn shorthand for nothing."

"There's only a hand full of people who know the story the way I'm going to tell you now. Five years ago, a woman and her 14 year old son were abducted by a two men."

Two photos appeared on the screen, showing two men in their early thirties.

"The kidnappers demanded 10 million Dollars paid in less than 24 hours for their release, but the husband refused to pay."

"Did he involve the police?" Morgan asked.

"No," Dave answered crisply. "He didn't pay and he didn't call the police or the FBI. After seven days, the woman and the boy could escape. One of the kidnappers died, the other one escaped, but was found dead one week later. A car had hit him, as he tried to cross a street."

"What kind of person doesn't pay and doesn't call the police either?" Reid asked, disgusted.

"Did the woman kill the kidnapper or was it a struggle between the UnSubs?" Prentiss asked.

"The woman killed him and injured the other one so badly that he ran away. When the car hit him, he had already lost a lot of blood. He died before the ambulance arrived."

"You said, there were no records of this case," Morgan resumed. "Does that mean she didn't report this either?"

Rossi shook his head. "No, she didn't."

"Are we talking about Julia Stiles here?" Garcia asked, curiously.

"As a matter of fact we are." Rossi pushed the button on the remote control and two other photos appeared on the screen.

"But that's Strauss," Prentiss said puzzled when he recognized the section chief.

"And her son Ruben," Hotch added. "14 years old back then."

"Yes. You see, Emily, the point is… Julia Stiles and Erin Strauss are the same person." Rossi put the remote control back on the table.

"Are you telling me that somebody kidnapped Strauss and her son and no one in the FBI noticed her absence? You said, the kidnappers had her for seven days!" Reid objected. "That's a long time."

"When you check the records of 2005 you'll see that there was just one time in Strauss's time as section chief of this unit when she was ill… her husband called in sick for her, claiming his wife had been in hospital after a vile food poisoning."

"But Strauss has enough money to buy half of Washington if he feels like [

it," Emily objected, her voice filled with skepticism. "Why should he leave his wife and his son in the hands of criminals? The bureau would have moved heaven and hell to get her out of there."

"I know," Rossi agreed. "William Strauss later told Erin he had brought the money to the place where the UnSubs had told him, but the bank never cashed him out and there's no way he was hiding 10 million bucks under his mattress. Fact is, William Strauss didn't lift a finger to save his wife or his son."

"And why did she stay with him?" Garcia asked. "Or in other words, why didn't she kill him and plastered his inner organs all over the city?"

While Dave sat down between Emily and Morgan, Hotch took over and explained, "That's the part where Julia Stiles becomes part of the game… Her son didn't take the abduction well. He's developed a serious trauma and has been in need of psychological treatment and medication ever since. About 6 months ago, he suddenly disappeared from his parents' home, but kept loose contact with his mother."

"Who stayed with Strauss," Emily said darkly. "And here I thought my opinion of her couldn't get any worse!"

Unimpressed by Emily's remark Hotch continued. "Instead of getting a divorce, Strauss decided to find out why her husband had refused to help her. She set up a second identity for investigations on her own. At first she used the apartment in D.C. to collect and hide evidence, later she bought the cabin in the mountains. She found out about the identities of her kidnappers, but both were dead and until two months ago, there was no way she could cross reference them to her husband."

"Officially, her kidnappers didn't exist. No one could identify the man who had been run over by the car, his ID was faked and there were no records of his fingerprints or his DNA. As a matter of fact, he wasn't even an American citizen."

"And the other one?" Prentiss wanted to know. "The man she killed?"

"There wasn't much left of him that could have been used to identify him. He was burned to death."

Silence fell, as everyone tried to understand the full meaning of what they just had heard.

"So what did she find out?" Reid asked.

"She got a hint form someone who works for the CIA. Apparently one of her husband's companies has had relations to Al Quaida or a group associated with them and was selling them biological or chemical weapons."

"Is that the same company Rachel works for?" Morgan wanted to know.

"Yes… that was the moment when she asked for my help," Dave explained.

"Strauss feared her daughter could be associated with terrorists?"

"Not necessarily her, Emily, but their relationship has always been difficult. Erin feared to lose her daughter over this completely. Rachel and William are very close and Rachel never believed her mother's side of the story… Rachel thinks her father told the truth when he had claimed he had paid the kidnappers. Rachel was in Europe, studying when Erin and the boy were abducted and her youngest sister Madeleine was out of town with her grandparents. Erin and Ruben were alone, when the men entered their home. Ruben was supposed to spend the night at a friend's house."

"So the kidnappers thought the Chief was alone in the house?" Reid concluded.

"Right." Rossi cleared his throat. "Erin's always been sure that her husband was behind the kidnapping or that he was least involved with the kidnappers, but she could never prove it. Everybody who works for Kruger is in the DNA database and some time ago there was finally a match for the DNA of one of the kidnappers. Seems the man who had been run over by the car is related to someone who works for Kruger."

"And who is it?" Morgan asked, staring at the photos on the screen.

"That's the problem. The scientist has left the country two months ago – for Baghdad. His name is Jeffrey Palmer."

Prentiss leaned back in her chair and eyed Rossi with open curiosity. "I have one question. Who is Julia Stiles that she's getting information from the CIA? I mean Strauss can get any information she wants, but Julia Stiles? The psychiatrist without a driving license?"

"You should ask who the man is, she gets her information from," Rossi corrected her and pushed a file across the table. "Let me add that I didn't know about the source who found out about the DNA match until this morning, when I found the file. I wasn't sure the car bomb and the kidnapping were connected at all."

"That's impossible." Prentiss was aghast and gave Reid the file. "Look at the handwriting!" she ordered.

"Gideon?" Reid asked just as surprised.

"Gideon," Hotch confirmed seriously.

"Until today, I had no idea, she had asked Jason for help," Rossi explained. "He used his contacts to the CIA to dig out information about Strauss, his associates and his companies."

"And how much does Rachel know about this?" Morgan asked. "It seems Daddy didn't even tell her, her mother had become the victim of an assassination."

"Just like five years ago," Garcia threw in.

"Seems his MO is denial," Prentiss said. "I wonder what he'll do when he hears Rachel is with us."

"That's something we won't have to wait for very long," Rossi said grimly. "I'll make sure Mr. Strauss will learn quickly that his daughter and a coworker of hers are considered suspects in this case."

"So, we're going in there, asking Rachel if she blew up Mummy?" Prentiss asked.

"Something like this." Rossi confirmed before he turned to Garcia. "Garcia, I need you to check something for me, before I talk to Rachel."

"Spill it out, Boss!"

**~~tbc~~**


	7. Chapter 7

_And here comes a big thank you to my loyal beta - the girl knows who she is. _

_Have fun with the next chapter and as always, let me know what you think. Every comment is greatly appreciated! _

**Chapter 7**

Rossi took his time to observe Rachel Strauss through the window of the interrogation room. She sat at the table in the middle of the naked room, waiting for something, anything to happen. He could tell she was impatient, even nervous. The way she brushed a strand of her blond hair back behind her ear reminded him of Erin.

Not because Erin was sometimes using the same gesture, no, it was more the way the nervous twisting of her muscles showed how hard she tried to hide her emotions, though they threatened to overwhelm her. She fought to be stronger than her inner demons, but for the trained eye it was obvious that she wasn't successful.

On the surface, Rachel wore the same cold shield made of pride to protect herself as her mother did, but Rossi saw the invisible wall around her was crumbling, slowly disappearing like fog that was forced to surrender to the sun.

Erin had told him, her oldest daughter was one tough cookie and he didn't doubt it for one second. He also knew now why Prentiss had been so cryptic about Rachel beforehand. Her condition was a little different from what he had expected, but her guest lecturing in overseas suddenly made perfect sense. Her swollen belly told him everything he needed to know, and her weakness would be his strength.

Dave heard steps behind him and knew it was Hotch. The younger agent stopped next to his old mentor and said, "The number of the cell phone from which Strauss was called before the bomb exploded belongs to some disposable cell phone. The call came from Washington DC, apparently close to the practice Strauss was using every now and then."

"I see."

"So, what's your strategy with her?"

Rossi shrugged, "I thought I could try the truth…"

"That's a new one. Is there a reason why you haven't told the others the whole story about Strauss and the kidnapping?" Hotch asked, his gaze focused on Rachel and his hands buried in his pocket.

Rossi had known, Hotch would ask him that, but he had told the team enough to work the case. There was no need to tell them every single detail of the abduction, unless it would become inevitable.

"She told me her story in private, Aaron. There's no need for the others to know what exactly happened back then."

"Are you afraid to humanize her or is it that you can't stand the others thinking even worse about her?"

"What kind of question is that?" Rossi asked, pugnacious.

"You still haven't told me, why of all people she asked you for help. Asking Gideon makes sense… he has the connection to the CIA she needed to get her hands on information she wouldn't get without raising questions, but why you?"

"I'm not sleeping with her, if it's that what you want to know," Dave informed him coldly. "She wanted my help, she got it and now she's in a coma and I'm here, trying to find out if her pregnant daughter has tried to kill her. End of story.

The argument was interrupted by Rossi's cell.

"Yes, Garcia?" Dave listened for a while and then he smiled. "Thanks. Remind me to take you to dinner soon."

"What did she find out?"

"Wait and see, Aaron. This is going to be fun. I'm going inside now."

* * *

**Blue Ridge Mountains **

_When Erin returned from her walk, Dave had read the file about two times and had stopped reading it for the third time, because his disgust threatened to overwhelm him. _

_The file lay on the table, abandoned and meant to be forgotten. Dave was no saint, no amateur. He knew evil and he had seen it all – and yet the contents of the file made him so sick, he could vomit. _

_The sun was already setting and slowly turning the woods into a shadeless ocean. His back was turned to the door. He heard her firm steps, as she entered the cabin. Not quite ready to face her again, he waited until she made the first step. _

"_David?" she asked curiously. "Cat ate your tongue?" _

_He remained silent until she finally approached him. Her perfume reached his nose, luring him to turn his head to get a look at her face. _

"_Just one question," he said lowly. "Why are you alive?" _

"_Is that really important?" she returned the question. _

"_The 'why' is always important. It's the key to everything." _

"_Victimology?" she asked, a little amused and shrugged, when he didn't return her smile. "I was lucky." She chuckled, when she saw the wrinkles that appeared on his forehead. "Don't look at me like this. I don't want your pity." _

"_I don't pity you." _

"_I don't want your compassion either."_

"_Is that the reason you want to seduce me? Because pity or compassion is an offense in your eyes? Because you think my help would never be selfless?" She left the question unanswered, remained silent as her blue eyes pierced his. _

"_And what's the reason you're here?" she asked back, a little aggressive. "It was hardly my request for help that brought you here." _

"_And what else brought me here in your opinion?" _

_She gave him a lazy smile. "As if we all didn't] know what makes David Rossi tick." _

"_I see…" Now he started to understand and even enjoy the game. "So this show in my office was just a test to see what it needs to lure me here?" _

"_It wasn't a test. I knew it would work," Erin informed him. "I know you better than you think." _

"_Then you should have known that it doesn't need sex to convince me to help." His face was all serious now. "I would never abuse my knowledge about you to get you - or any other woman - into bed. So what exactly do you want from me?" _

_For a moment he watched how she fought the wish to battle this out, but then her common sense got the upper hand and she said, "I need your opinion on this – as an expert. I know William is the reason this happened to me and Ruben, and I need to prove it. You're one of the best… damn[,] you invented this thing about getting into the mind of criminals."_

"_I didn't invent it… I just made it our discipline." _

"_Whatever," she dismissed his objection with a wave of her hand. "I'm biased… biased about William. I thought I can do this on my own, but I can't. I need you to get into his head. Find out why he didn't care to at least save his only son." _

_

* * *

_

When Rossi closed the door, Rachel Strauss's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Finally," she spat, when David sank into the chair on the opposite side of the table.

"My name is SSA Rossi and I'm with the FBI. I hope you didn't have to wait too long," he returned coldly. "But we're busy to find out who tried to blow up your mother and who first paid and later killed the woman who planted that bomb in her car. The unit is a little off, since their boss is in a coma."

Playing the bad cop seemed the most appropriate thing to welcome Dr. Rachel Strauss. He doubted she would accept him as the leader of his show, if he played the nice guy. Her mother wouldn't either. But how far had this apple fallen from the tree?

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, a little sharper this time.

"Last night someone tried to kill your mother with a car bomb," Dave explained icily. "And we're asking you if you happen to know anything about it."

"My mother had a car accident," Rachel said, empathizing the word accident. "My father called me and asked me to come home."

"Ah, your father called you…" Dave grinned mysteriously.

"Yes." Snippy.

"Busy man, your father. Runs many companies… you work for him, don't you?"

"Not anymore."

"Obviously. Pregnant women shouldn't run a lab and develop pyrotechnic material. Does he know you're pregnant?"

"Of course."

"And your mother?"

"What do you want from me?" Rachel asked, exasperated.

"I want you to answer my questions… because I doubt you told your mother about your pregnancy."

"My mother and I avoid talking unless it's necessary."

"So a pregnancy is no reason to talk to her, but a car accident of hers makes you fly around the world." Rossi sighed. "You're not the only one with a Mommy issue, you know. I know girls like you who desperately want to prove themselves to their mothers and fail, because no matter what they do, it'll never be good enough. But in 99 percent of all cases, the daughters mess it up and not their mothers."

"That's my business."

"Yes, maybe… but this is a federal investigation and that's why it's my business now. The issue between you and your mother. The relationship with your father and your relationship with _this_ man. They're all my business! Take a look at this!"

He reached in the inside of his pocket and produced a photo. "Do you know this man?"

Her lips twisted. "That's Jeffrey Palmer. An ex colleague of mine."

"Right. A chemist who used to work with you. Do you know him well?"

"No."

Dave smiled. All real interviews start with the first lie. Game on, Rachel.

* * *

Hotch watched Rossi and Rachel with growing concern. He knew it was only a matter of time, before William Strauss learned that his daughter had been taken by the FBI and appeared on the doorstep of the BAU in person. The plan was to interview him as well, but Hotch knew it would take some doing to get William Strauss into the interrogation room. He hoped with Rachel as bait, they would get their chance to learn more about the mysterious kidnapping 5 years ago. There was something that bothered him about the story, he just couldn't put his finger to it. Not yet.

His cell rang.

"Yes, Garcia!"

"Tell me, I'm irreplaceable." The red head on the other end of the line demanded cheekily.

"You certainly are. What did you find?"

"It's not the what. It's the who… Our dear friend Jeffrey Palmer is not in Baghdad…. His passport maybe is, but the guy himself is still here in Washington. Guess the desert in the middle east wasn't his cup of tea."

"Thanks, Garcia."

~~tbc~~


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for the delay, but real life is kicking in at times. Enjoy the next chapter and let me know what you think!_

**Chapter 8**

**_FBI, Behavior Analysis Unit, Quantico, VA_**

David Rossi leaned back in his chair. He pointed again at the photo and said, "Please, Rachel. No games. You know Jeffrey Palmer and you know him quite well."

"I told you, we worked together, but aside from this I haven't had any contact to Jeffrey."

"I see. Well, what if I can prove Jeffrey and you were an item in the past and that you ran off to England when you realized you were pregnant?"

Rachels' eyes narrowed. "You can't prove anything, Agent…" she took a closer look at the batch on his collar. "Agent Rossi." A strange smile crossed her face. "David Rossi, the author, isn't it?"

"Yes." Dave confirmed, asking himself why she suddenly seemed to be interested in him or his profession.

"Mom has read some of your books… she used to say you're talented, but way too dramatic."

Rossi scoffed. "She's never been the leader of my fan club."

"And yet, you had an affair with her." Rachel spat disgusted and amused at the same time.

"Pardon me." Rossi leaned forward, piercing Rachel's clear eyes. "Where did you get that idea from?"

"My father told me… he's been suspecting it for years… ever since you came back to the FBI."

David remembered that the night before, William Strauss hadn't been the perfect example of a jealous husband. Another lie to create an even bigger rift between mother and daughter? Or an excuse to explain the lack of affection in his marriage? Whatever it was, he was sure Hotch would find out about this, when he talked to Erin's husband who should arrive at the BAU any minute.

"Your father is wrong. I never touched your mother, though the idea's always had some appeal. She's without a doubt a very attractive woman. But…" he paused and grinned his million Dollar smile. "But since we're talking about relationships… " He pointed again at Jeffrey Palmer's photo. "What if I tell you that this man, the father of your baby, is the related to one of the men who kidnapped your mother and your brother five years ago?"

* * *

Exactly 25 minutes after Rossi had entered the interrogation room, William Strauss had arrived and demanded to see Hotch. The unit chief welcomed Erin Strauss's husband in the bullpen, while Morgan, Reid and Prentiss kept themselves in the background, watching the scene.

"Mr. Strauss," Hotch greeted him in his usual formal manner.

"Agent Hotchner." Strauss ignored Hotch's hand. The evening before Strauss had been a cold fish as well, but today he had obviously decided to throw his manners over board.

"You have my daughter in custody."

"We're questioning your daughter," Hotch clarified. "The material used for the car bomb that almost killed your wife, has been developed and tested in your daughter's laboratory. The access to this kind of pyrotechnic material is strictly limited and therefore we need to ask her, if she knows something that could be related to the crime."

"My daughter has spent the last few weeks in Europe. There's no way, she's involved in this."

"Well, Sir…" Hotch hesitated and pointed to his office up the small staircase. "If you don't mind, I would like to discuss this with you in a less public place."

Aaron looked around, and Strauss realized everyone had stopped talking and watched them. Strauss agreed reluctantly and followed Hotch upstairs. As soon as the door had closed, Prentiss and Morgan turned and looked over Reid's shoulder. They would follow the conversation between Hotch and Strauss via Reid's computer screen.

"Let's hope for a good show," Prentiss said.

"Yes, let's hope he falls for it," Morgan confirmed sternly.

* * *

"How often do I have to tell you that Jeffrey and I weren't lovers?" Rachel's flat hand hit the desktop, but Rossi didn't even blink. He knew outbursts of people in interrogation and the best way to suppress them, was to ignore them.

"Rachel," he said slowly and leaned again forward, supporting his body's weight with his elbows. "Look, we already know, you've been seeing him in private… phone records, he used your computer at home to check his emails and he also used your account in the company, which means he knows your passwords, and if he hasn't stolen them, you told him."

"No..." her voice trailed off. Her fingers ran through her hair and Rossi saw small drops of sweat on her forehead.

"Our analyst is a interesting girl. There's no hard drive, she can't get into, and no server and no firewall that can stop her when she's searching for something. And when you tell me, that Jeffrey wasn't the one who used your account, you were the one who paid a fortune to Tiffany Granger, the woman who planted the bomb in your mother's car."

"Excuse me?" Rachel turned pale. "Are you insane? I would never kill my mother nor would he."

"No? Look, right now, the evidence is pointing to you… you hated your mother, you think she was cheating on your father, but instead of getting a divorce she stayed with him, witch hunting him for a crime, you think he never committed. Your brother's a psychological case, and vanished one day, your younger sister resents you, because she can't stand the way, you treat you mother. You're sick of watching all of this and decide to put an end to it. And the only way to end this is to kill your mother. And since you work at the source, it's easy for you to get rid off her."

"Stop it!" Rachel screamed.

"You have the pyrotechnic device, you have the money and you have a boyfriend who happens to know people who do everything for money. So you set up an alibi… you go to London to lecture while Tiffany becomes your mother's new assistant. You know what kind of people your mother wants to have around and so Tiffany knows how to impress your mother, so that she quickly gains her trust. And then one evening…"

"Shut up!" The scream threatened to burst his ear drum and Rachel jumped from her chair. Holding her belly, Rachel grabbed the edge of the table and hissed, "You know nothing!"

Rossi stared back at her, unwilling to break the eye contact. The tension in the room was almost palpable and whoever gave in first would be the loser of this game.

"Then enlighten me, because as far as I'm concerned you and your boyfriend are cold-blooded killers."

"I didn't kill anyone!"

"But you know Jeffrey isn't what he appeared to be… that's why you ran away… did your mother tell you who he is? Did she tell you, he was related to one of the men who raped her and almost beat your little brother to death?"

His last remark threw Rachel off guard. She grabbed behind herself, searching for the rest of the wooden chair that lay on the floor.

"They never claimed any of this to me," Rachel insisted. "You're lying!"

"You weren't there when it happened… you never saw them until you returned home about 4 weeks after their escape… you never saw your brothers' scars, did you?"

Rachel shook her head. Dave rose from his chair to pick her chair up. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he pushed her down and said. "And now again. What do you know about Jeffrey Palmer?"

* * *

"Do you know one of these men?" Hotch asked and showed Strauss two photos.

"No," Strauss answered.

"They were the kidnappers who abducted your wife and your son five years ago."

"I understand, but as far as I know they're dead, unless they resurrected. So, I don't see…"

"They are dead," Hotch confirmed, cutting him off. "But now we could finally identify them."

"That'll means a lot to my wife – once she wakes up again." Strauss said coldly. "And now I want to talk to my daughter."

"Not yet. Agent Rossi is still questioning her."

"Agent Rossi, I see… famous man, very concerned about my wife." Strauss mused. "He trained her, didn't he?"

Hotch ignored the question. "We all are concerned about your wife." He cleared his throat. "Do you know this man?" Hotch showed him another picture.

"That's Dr. Palmer," Strauss confirmed. "He used to work in the same laboratory as Rachel."

"True, unfortunately his real name isn't Jeffrey Palmer."

Strauss's forehead wrinkled as Hotch placed another photo next to Palmer's image.

"Palmer's related to one of the kidnappers. Did you know that?"

"Of course not!"

"So, he never tried to get in contact with you… never tried to blackmail you?"

"Why should anyone blackmail me?"

"Because he knew you paid his brother and his partner to kidnap your wife."

"That's ridiculous!" Visibly upset by Hotch's accusation, Strauss rose. Hotch remained on his chair.

"You had a deal with Palmer's brother. He was supposed to take your wife, make it look like an ordinary abduction and kill her later on. But something went wrong, when he not only took your wife, but also your son. You suddenly had a big problem, because the kidnappers wanted more for your son's life than you were willing to give."

"You're raving!" Strauss yelled. "And I'm getting my daughter out of this place."

Strauss stormed towards the door, but Hotch's calm voice stopped him dead, just as his hand was hitting the door handle.

"It wasn't the money, was it? The ten million Dollars weren't the reason, these men betrayed you. It was something else, something much more valuable."

Strauss scoffed, but he remained where he was.

"We've got enough proof to convince the jury your daughter has tried to kill her mother. And unless you don't want your grandchild to be born in jail, you should start talking to us."

* * *

While Morgan, Reid and Prentiss watched with tensed faces how William Strauss sank back in his chair, Garcia approached Reid's desk.

"Guys, I know who Jeffrey Palmer is!" She announced and placed her laptop on Reid's desk. "His real name is Brandon Meyers, but has given up that name over ten years ago; or to say it better ten years ago the guy stopped to exist, just like his older brother Matthew. They both got lost somewhere in Egypt and reappeared in 2002 as Thomas Winston and Jeffrey Palmer. There's no valid proof for it, but we know Thomas is linked to an Islamist terror cell we could eliminate in 2004. He and some of his friends escaped and after more identity changes, Matthew became a rich man – the money transfer took place the day before Erin Strauss and her son were kidnapped and…" her voice trailed off.

"And?" Morgan asked, tensed.

"And nothing… since he died, he couldn't waste it."

"Could you trace from where the money came from?" Prentiss asked.

"No… it came from an account in Switzerland… and since Switzerland hides its money in stinking cheese holes, there's no way, I can trace the money."

"So, if the kidnappers got paid for their crime, why should they demand more money?" Reid asked the others.

"That's the proof the kidnapping was faked," Morgan resumed.

"Any idea where Jeffrey or Brandon or whatever his name is, is now?" Prentiss asked Garcia.

"I can only tell you where he isn't… according to the airport Palmer left the United States over two weeks ago, but look at this… the camera in Baghdad shows me that the guy who checks out with Palmer's passport looks a lot like him but is actually someone else!"

She pointed with her exorbitantly bejewelled index finger at the face of a man who picks up his suitcase.

"So, if he's not in Baghdad, where is he?"

"He used his credit card 2 days ago, but since the attack, his trace seemed lost," Garcia shrugged. "I'm already checking cards registered on one of his other names. Maybe he'll turn up that way."

Prentiss straightened up and turned to have a direct look at Hotch's office.

"I think I have a better idea," she said, smiling. "Listen to me…"

**_~tbc~_**


	9. Chapter 9

_Here's the next chapter. Thanks again to everybody who reads, comments and alerts this story. Your encouragement means a lot to me. I also want to thank - again - my fabulour beta Gemenied who is a brilliant writer herself :-) _

_I can't post regular these days, because real life is keeping me on my toes. So, please forgive me for any delays. _

**Chapter 9**

**_FBI, Behaviour Analysis Unit, Quantico, VA_**

"What Emily says, sounds possible," Morgan agreed after Prentiss had shared her idea with the others.

"I would say it's an option." Emily insisted. "If Palmer used Rachel's email accounts, he can also use her credit cards or has a bank account in her name. This guy loves to use different identities. What if he used Rachel to get close enough to Strauss and to blame the attack on Rachel? The ultimate revenge on the family that killed his brother!"

"If he never left the States he could still be around and use Rachel's data to cover his traces," Reid said and the others nodded in agreement. Garcia jumped from Reid's desk, grabbed her laptop and fled the bullpen.

"All right. I'm on my way. Palmer is already yours! See you later, guys."

* * *

"Are you threatening me, Agent Hotchner?" William Strauss asked sternly, but sank back into his chair. Hotch noticed Strauss's right hand was clenched into a fist. The man was fighting his impulse to scream his true feelings out loud.

"I'm just naming the consequences of your non-existing cooperation," Hotch explained calmly. "You and your daughter are our main suspects, though I have to admit for different reasons."

"Is that the way you lead an investigation? Blaming the family members and see how they react?" Strauss asked, crossing his legs. The fist had vanished. Hotch watched him closely. Strauss felt obviously safer now that Hotch had claimed to be uncertain about his theory.

"Actually most crimes happen within the core of a family. Murder between spouses is more common than the public thinks."

"I admit that my marriage hasn't been the best, but kidnapping Erin, because we've lost interest in each other is a little harsh, don't you think so?" Strauss smiled again his sweeter than life smile and Hotch instinctively felt he had been right all along. William Strauss was involved in everything that had happened to his wife and his son. Could he use Rachel as bait to make him talk? Hotch doubted it. Rachel was the weak link in this story. Hopefully Rossi would find a way through to Rachel.

* * *

"Let's start again, Rachel. Jeffrey Palmer is the father of your child, isn't he?"

Dave occupied his chair again and pushed the photo of Jeffrey Palmer closer to Rachel. The younger woman had calmed down again, but Dave doubted he had broken her. The moment of surprise had been on his side so far, but there weren't many aces he had left in his sleeve. Rachel needed to talk and quickly.

The young woman looked at the picture for almost a minute before she finally nodded.

"I assume he wasn't happy, when you told him you were pregnant?" Rossi asked.

"No," Rachel admitted with a sigh. "He was furious."

"Did he want you to abort the baby?"

Rachel nodded again. "Yes. I refused… didn't make him happier."

"What happened then? Did you go to your father?"

"Yes." She bit her lower lip, chewed on it.

"Who wasn't happier either," Dave guessed next. A shadow crossed Rachel's face.

"No… but he told me to forget about Jeffrey… and to move on. To think about my future. He had the idea with London. He called some friends and the deal was done."

"And your mother has no idea about any of this?"

"She hated Jeffrey… when I told her about us, she almost hit the roof!"

"When was that?" Rossi was alarmed, because he felt he was getting closer.

"Maybe two months ago… shortly before I learnt I was pregnant."

Dave didn't have to think. He knew that Erin had found out about Jeffrey Palmer and his relation to one of her kidnappers about the same time. Geeez, sometimes he wished the woman could do the right thing to accomplish her justified goals. She had wanted to protect her daughter and had pissed her off instead. On the other hand, Rachel had left for London shortly after. A city far away from here and Jeffrey Palmer. Another sacrifice.

"Rachel," he said slowly, searching for the right words. "I'm quite sure, your mother knew all along who Jeffrey Palmer really is." He raised his hand, demanding silence from her, as she straightened her back and opened her mouth to talk. "I can prove the man you believe to be Jeffrey Palmer never existed. If you listen to me, I'll tell you what happened to your mother and your brother five years ago and why she even asked someone who works for the CIA to help her to prove she isn't the liar your father claims she is. I can tell you what she did to save your brother, but I need you to listen to me with an open mind. Will you do that?"

Rachel moved on her chair, agitated, unhappy, but she didn't object. After a few moments of reevaluating his request she finally nodded.

* * *

"Emily, I'll nominate you for the award of the agent of the month. You were right," Garcia announced via speaker.

Morgan, Reid, and Prentiss were still in the bullpen, watching Hotch and Strauss via Reid's screen.

"So Palmer used Rachel's credit card?" Morgan asked and bent over Reid's desk.

"Yes," Penelope confirmed. "Just a few hours ago at the airport. I know, I know what you want to say, Rachel arrived yesterday and could have used her credit card, and she did, but I got two hits when I checked her accounts and I also checked the cameras. It's definitely Palmer who used one of Rachel's credit cards to get some cash before he watched you getting Rachel. The funny thing is, the credit card has only existed for a few weeks now. He got it from Rachel's bank in England. Apparently her father has made sure she has several account there. The question is, whether she knows all of them, because she has accounts with different banks."

"So maybe Strauss helped him to cover his traces," Emily said, but then she shook her head. "But why should he let take Rachel the fall for the attempted killing of his wife? That makes no sense."

"Maybe they never thought we would conclude Palmer was using Rachel's accounts," Reid suggested. "Any sign from Palmer since this morning?"

"No… but I noticed on the camera footage that Palmer was calling someone after Rachel had left the airport building. I still try to find out what number he dialed. The footage is quite blurry."

"Keep trying," Morgan said.

"I'm not through yet," Garcia cut him off. "Emily's idea made me thinking and so I also checked Julia Stiles' accounts…"

"And?" Emily wanted to know.

"Someone used her credit card last night – not far from her practice in Washington. Actually at the drug store right around the corner."

* * *

**Washington DC **

He knew it had only been a matter of time, before his target would show itself. He loved it when his predictions were right, when the pieces fell together and showed the whole picture. He had been right all along. And the key to unlock the room where the picture was hidden had just passed him. He had remembered him differently, but time changed everyone. Time and experience. He had changed as well – and he doubted for the better.

The wind was cold and he pulled up the collar of his jacket. With his face hidden underneath a scarf, he followed the younger man, making sure there was a safe distance between them. He knew where his target was going.

**~tbc~**


	10. Chapter 10

_Many thanks go to the finest beta ever. Thanks, Girl. You rock! _

**Chapter 10 **

**Washington DC**

Jason Gideon had followed the young man into the apartment house and had used the elevator to reach the fifth floor. He had to hurry. There wasn't much time left before the FBI would arrive and burst in.

He had used Julia Stiles' credit card – Erin didn't even notice it was missing – to lead his old team to this place to find the only person who could help them putting an end to this madness.

Gideon knew the man was traumatized and loved to hide in a shell, but he was sure that the memories he kept locked in the deepest, darkest corner of his mind needed to come to the surface.

Ruben Strauss needed closure.

Erin Strauss needed closure and he hoped against hope, she would find it and didn't have to die, before she knew that the people who were responsible for the misery of her family had been brought to justice.

He raised his fist and knocked at the door.

"Ruben Strauss? It's me, Jason Gideon. We met before when you were younger. I'm with the FBI and I know your mother. Please, open the door."

Gideon hadn't expected anything to happen after his first attempt to make contact with Ruben. Erin Strauss's son wouldn't trust anyone easily.

"Ruben, your mother needs you. I don't know, if you know what happened to her yesterday evening, but believe me when I say, she needs you."

Jason waited. One heartbeat. Two. Three. Then he heard shy steps, then the turning of a key in a lock. A deep sigh, that gave away the other's fear. The door opened slightly and through he crack he got a glimpse of the young man's features. The blond, short cut hair and the clear eyes.

"How did you find me?"

"Your mother told me she owns this apartment. I'm here, because of her, because of what happened to her and you. Can we talk, Ruben? It's about time."

* * *

_She didn't know where she was. Neither did she know what time it was nor how long she had been locked up in this narrow, dark, smelly room. In the room above her she heard steps, agitated, angry. Chairs that scratched over the floor, furious voices, sometimes the shatter of glass. Next to her on a mattress in a corner lay Ruben. He had fallen asleep at some point, because the lack of food and water had made him weak. Her own stomach didn't seem to exist anymore and her throat was burning, but she had chosen to ignore it, because this wouldn't get easier. _

_After the first time one of the man had sexually abused her she had been violently sick, but of course that had turned him on even more and had ended in a second rape. She hated that her son had to witness what these men were doing to her, but begging them to bring him somewhere else would only fuel their sadistic appetite and as long as they liked to violate her, they hopefully wouldn't touch him. Her physical pain was a small sacrifice compared to what her son's emotional pain did to her. _

_It was the fourth day of her abduction and until the day before, they had almost treated them decently. Erin knew they had contacted her husband; one of her kidnappers had repeatedly told her about the favor William owed them and that after he had kept his end of the bargain, they would set her and Ruben free. She had waited one day, two days, nothing had happened. Then the day before, she had heard an enormous fight in the room above their own little prison cell and after that, the horror had started. The slaps, the cuts with their knifes, the pulling at her hair and the endless insults and the constant abuse. All she needed was a gun, or a knife, something she could use to end this in her way. If she ever had the chance neither of both men would leave this place alive._

_The blood in her veins had been replaced by pure hate. It burned under her skin like fire and introduced her to a side of her inner self that she hadn't known yet. Chasing criminals and making sure they would spend the rest of their lives behind bars was her job and she loved her job with passion, but never before she had actually wanted to kill anyone. What she craved for with a desperation she had never experienced before was the feeling of their warm blood on her hands and the moment their eyes broke because hell opened underneath them. The moment they finally died. _

_She actually believed, the fantasy was the only thing that could keep her sane. _

_She heard steps and knew her time of peace was over. Clenching her fist, she prepared for another wave of senseless violence… and perhaps a way to get even. _

_

* * *

_

**FBI, Behavior Analysis Unit, Quantico, VA**

"Only this time, they didn't chose her. This time they grabbed your little brother," Rossi said, bringing to life what he had read in Erin's report. "I don't have to tell you, that they didn't make him suffer any less than your mother."

Rachel had listened to his sometimes husky words with an expressionless face the whole time, but David believed to see honest shock in her eyes, and the wish not to know what happened. He was destroying her belief system, the foundation of her world, but sometimes it needed an earthquake to see what was left to care for in this world.

"They could escape one day later. One of the men became careless and your mother could get a hold of his gun when he wanted to violate her while he was drunk. She shot him, but he survived, as we learned later. He was run over by a car when he escaped the house where they had kept Erin and Ruben. His partner was in a room upstairs. He caught them as they sneaked out, she hit him with a bottle of whiskey over his head and set him on fire with his flare match. He burned to death and until a few weeks ago, we couldn't identify either of them."

Rossi waited, gave her time to let the news subside and the horror unfold.

"Was Jeffrey the man she shot?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"No," Rossi replied. "But we know he was closely related to him. Possibly his brother."

"I see."

When Rachel looked up and met his eyes, he saw tears swimming in her eyes. "Dad said Mom was hiding Ruben. He told me, she didn't approve of the psychiatrists he hired to help him." She wiped a single tear from her cheek. "What if he was right, but she only hid Ruben, because she knew Dad didn't want him to recover?"

"We don't know that," Dave replied softly. "But what we know is that the kidnappers didn't ask for money when they kidnapped your mother. We also assume that your father hired them to kidnap your mother – and not your brother. Ruben wasn't supposed to be at home that night. They tried to outsmart your father and when he refused to play along, they snapped and lost control over themselves and the situation. Two small scale criminals that went mad. Wouldn't be the first time."

Rachel cleared her throat, "So maybe they asked for money and he refused…"

Rossi shook his head and her voice trailed off. "I assume they wanted something else. We found out they had connections to Islamic terror cells here in the States. One of them did time in a prison where the head of an Islamistic terror cell was teaching the corane. They had found a new business connection and your father is the CEO of a company that develops and produces weapons that are sold to members and factions of Al Quaida."

"My father would never support terrorists," Rachel said. "He would rather die, before he betrayed his country!"

Rossi gave her a long, sad look. "Or allow them to kill his wife and his son. That's what we need to find out."

* * *

**Washington DC**

"I can help you, Ruben," Gideon offered gently. "I can help you remember – unless you chose to live on in darkness; though…" he paused, rubbing his hands. "I think you already remember something… but it's too painful to think of it."

They sat in Julia Stiles' apartment. The living room was half dark, the blinds were shut, the desk lamp illuminated a clean, neat room, filled with books, some flowers and family pictures. Gideon had noticed William Strauss was missing in all of them. Erin had never been careless enough to have photos in her office that didn't contain her husband. In this apartment, in this world, William Strauss was missing, as a father and as a husband.

Ruben stared on his fingernails.

"You felt safe here, didn't you?" Jason asked. "Your mother brought you here and gave you the home, you couldn't have when your father was around."

"It's okay," Ruben said, the agreement covered as understatement.

"Your mother gave me some kind of journal, you know. In this journal, she wrote about the kidnapping… what those men did to the two of you. She asked me to profile your kidnappers and she asked me to use my connections to get some very sensitive information, including who they were and if your father had paid them to commit this crime."

"I know that," Ruben nodded. "She told me, she asked someone for help."

"Did she also tell you I'm a profiler?"

The young man shook his head. "Is that important?"

Jason chuckled. "It's my job to dive into people's minds… to know them better than they know themselves so that I can predict what they'll do next. I can also take you back to a place and find out what happened, even though you think this information is buried forever."

"And that's what you want to do with me? To dive into my brain to see what I can possibly remember from the kidnapping?"

"Only if you allow me to help you," Jason clarified. "It only works when you allow me to help you."

"Some of the shrinks my father hired tried to do something similar, you know… they wanted to tell me what I should remember. I won't allow you to do the same. No matter whether my mother sent you or not."

The young Man's voice was calm, but determined. For Jason it was obvious the young man was as sane as he was. He wasn't as broken as William Strauss wanted to make him believe.

"I'm not here to tell you what you should remember… I want to find out the truth. You know what happened to your mother, don't you?" Jason asked.

"I heard it on the radio… when she brought me here, she told me to stay, no matter what happens. That's what I do."

"And that was wise, but in a few minutes a SWAT team will storm this apartment, because I lured them here. I want you to come with me to Quantico so that they can question you."

Right after Jason had finished his sentence they could hear the sirens coming closer to the house. Time was running out, but Ruben didn't even try to run, not that Jason had expected it. The boy had given up on running away a long time ago. He was facing his destiny like a man.

"What will happen to me once I get there?" he asked instead.

"They will ask you a lot of questions… unless you let me help you. You don't need me or anyone else to hypnotize you. You remember it all, don't you? That's why you're here, hiding, instead of holding your mother's hand while she fights for her life."

Ruben swallowed and bent his head, as his cheeks blushed. "I don't remember everything… I suddenly remembered it some weeks ago when I was searching for something in our cellar. It was dark, as dark as it was in that room all those years ago… I felt claustrophobic like back then… I smelled the room again, heard their voices and then I remembered something. It was only a second… when they first… did this to her… the door was open… there was some light in the hallway… I saw him standing there on the doorstep… he did nothing, just stared at me, like he did five years ago."

Jason narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "You saw your father?"

Ruben nodded, his head still bent down. "Yes… and then he left. Mom didn't notice it…"

"Did you tell her about it, when you remembered it?"

"Not immediately… but she saw something was wrong with me… I couldn't tell her, but I confronted my father about it – he denied it, of course."

"When did you talk to him?"

"A few days ago."

"FBI!"

Jason turned his head and looked at the door. Morgan was hitting the door with his fist. The team was here. Just in time.

"They will storm in and think you're the attacker of their unit chief and arrest you, unless I open the door, but I'll only do that if you promise me, you'll tell them everything you know. Stop protecting your memories, because it won't help your mother. This is your chance to hold these people accountable for what they did. Don't miss this chance. Do you understand me?"

"I understand," Ruben said.

"So?"

"Open the door, Agent."

* * *

**FBI, Behavior Analysis Unit, Quantico, VA**

"I see. Thanks, Morgan."

Slowly, but with unmistakable determination, Hotch hung up the phone and looked up to William Strauss.

"As I see it, this is your last chance to tell me about your wife's abduction. We've found a witness who can tell us everything about your involvement with the kidnappers and why they turned against you."

Strauss gave Hotch a doubtful look. "You have nothing."

"My fellow agents found your son and Ruben has regained his memory about the time of the abduction. A repressed memory is still a memory and sooner or later, people remember what happened to them. So, if you don't talk to me, he will and it's on you how this will look in court."

**~tbc~**


	11. Chapter 11

**_This one is dedicated to Paget Brewster. I'm already missing her. She rocked in last weeks episode! _**

_A big thank you goes to my fabulous beta Gemenied. You rock every day! _

**Chapter 11**

**FBI, Behaviour Analysis Unit, Quantico**

Aaron Hotchner stared into William Strauss' eyes with the same determination and dedication he applied to everything in life. He wanted to break this man, wanted to dig up the dirt that had been poisoning his mind and soul for the last couple of years while he watched every movement of his facial muscles and every twitch of his eyes. A small drop of sweat ran down Strauss' forehead. The tension in the room was like electricity. One spark and the air would explode.

"It wasn't what you think," Strauss said in a thin voice and swallowed. "I didn't pay Tiffany or whatever her name was to kill Erin and I certainly didn't frame my daughter!"

"But you paid someone to kidnap her five years ago," Hotch insisted, eager to start at the beginning of the story, not at its end. "And you didn't want your wife to survive this."

A few moments passed, then Strauss exhaled, realizing there was no excuse left, and started talking. "I knew she wanted to leave me," he explained and though his voice was still low, he was talking faster. "We've been having problems for a while… she was seeing someone else. She never admitted it, but I knew it. She had changed. She was different."

Strauss bent his head, as if he knew how weak his explanation sounded.

"And why didn't you just divorce her?" Hotch asked, having problems to picture Erin Strauss as an adulteress. The idea didn't quite square, though he still didn't believe Dave had told him the truth when he had said, he had never slept with Erin Strauss.

"Because of the money," Strauss answered with a blank face. "It's her family's money that built up the company… her father was still alive back then. He would have taken everything from me. I couldn't allow that. I needed a clean cut."

SOB was the nicest curse that formed on Hotch's mind, but he didn't have time to articulate it. Palmer was still out there and it didn't end as he had wanted it. Strauss was a cockroach and Hotch doubted he had told him the utter truth.

"You hired two men to kidnap and kill your wife, but things didn't go very smoothly. They took your son too and didn't kill Erin, but started blackmailing you! Two opportunists who wanted more than just money! What was it? Drugs, weapons? What couldn't you give them?"

Strauss chew on his inner cheeks. "Pyrotechnical devices… they were acting as middle men for a terrorism cell that was hiding here in Washington at that time. I refused and offered them more money, if they released them both, and forgot about the whole incidence, but the offer made it worse…" Strauss' voice trailed off.

Hotch watched him closely, and though he tried to keep himself in line, he knew what Strauss was thinking about. He had read Erin Strauss's journal and suddenly he knew William Strauss was aware of what Erin and her son had been going through, because he had chosen the wrong men for a wrong job, and that he hadn't done anything to help them. But was it really shame or guilt he saw? Or maybe just regret that his game was over after all those years?

"And of course they couldn't agree, because they had trapped themselves. Two lousy figures who thought they could deal with terrorists and make money from death and destruction! You wife is a high ranking member of the FBI. You knew how to get help, you knew what to do to get them out of there!"

Hotch felt sick. He was sick of Strauss and sick of this case.

Strauss looked at Hotch and swallowed hard. "I couldn't give them what they asked for. I couldn't call for help… and I couldn't betray my country."

Far from having compassion or accepting the shallow excuse of this failed figure, Hotch said coldly, "You already have. Everyone who acts as a traitor to his own family, betrays society."

* * *

**Potomac Hospital, Parking Lot**

Rachel Strauss had asked Rossi to bring to her to her mother and he had obliged. The team had found Ruben Strauss and maybe it was for the best when Rachel didn't know where Ruben was, before he had been questioned by Hotch.

Keeping the family separated had been quite successful so far and they shouldn't risk anything until Palmer was caught. Obviously, the man was not only after Erin. His involvement with Rachel showed that he was after every member of the Strauss clan and since he hadn't succeeded with killing Erin in the first place who knew what he was trying next to accomplish his mission.

The way Rossi saw it Palmer wanted everything. Revenge and money. His greed could become his weakness, but until he made a fatal mistake, they needed to make sure Erin and Rachel were protected.

Rossi stopped the car in the parking lot of the hospital and turned to face Rachel.

"Be honest, Rachel, did you never feel scared of Jeffrey before?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Before you told him about the baby… was he never short-tempered, uninterested or even harsh towards you? He can't have many friends. Did you never wonder why you never went out with other people? Did he never talk about his family?"

Rachel wrinkled her forehead. "Well, I sometimes asked him to introduce me to his friends which he never did, though he promised it… he had no family left, that's what he said… that's why he never wished to meet my parents. He wasn't interested in social contacts. Sometimes he had problems with colleagues in the lab. He was a loner, just like me." She shrugged, lost in her thoughts. "I should have noticed it earlier, shouldn't I?"

"You couldn't know he was after your mother," Rossi objected gently.

"But I should have known he was only using me… I mean he certainly didn't need me to get his hands on this bomb, but I should have wakened up when he constantly used my laptop instead of his computer… when he refused to see my parents… when he didn't pay much attention to me and what I had to say… I just thought…" her voice trailed off. "I guess that doesn't matter anymore."

"Actually, no," David said and unbuckled his seat belt. "What matters now is that your mother wakes up and recovers. I'm already missing her kicking my ass."

"She's good at that," Rachel agreed with a strange smile. "But you're as well," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"It's part of my job to open people's eyes."

"I see… I doubt you see much good in those eyes though."

Dave preferred not to answer this question. He didn't know yet where to place Rachel Strauss. Her exterior was still cold as ice and even when she smiled her eyes had this strange glitter. He couldn't bring himself to trust her.

"Are you ready to see her?" Dave asked. "You haven't parted on the best terms the last time you met. Could hurt to see but not talk to her."

Rachel raised her left eyebrow. "No, it's okay… it's something I have to do. Possibly apologizing to her when she can't object or interrupt is the easier way to talk to her."

Dave nodded slowly.

"All right. Then let's go."

* * *

**FBI, Behaviour Analysis Unit, Quantico**

"So let's resume this, before we ask Ruben any further questions," Prentiss said, as she, Hotch, Reid, and Morgan stood in front of the interrogation room where they watched Ruben Strauss sitting at the same table where his sister had been sitting half an hour ago. William Strauss had been taken to another interview room. Both men had no idea the other one was even in the same building.

"What do we know about him and what do we know about Jeffrey Palmer?" Hotch asked the others.

It was Reid who started. "Ruben Strauss went missing after he regained his memory after a long period of post traumatic amnesia. He remembered his father's involvement with his and his mother's abduction five years ago and confronted him about it without telling his mother. Strauss hid her son in the apartment she had rented in her alter ego's name Julia Stiles where Gideon found him today."

"William Strauss stated that he paid two men for the abduction and killing of his wife, but the kidnappers betrayed him and took his son as well. In exchange they demanded pyrotechnical devices that they wanted to sell to an Islamistic terror cell. When he refused, the men snapped in panic and tortured Erin Strauss and her son, but William remained stubborn and claimed patriotic motives for his behavior. Strauss and her son could escape before the men could kill them."

"Now to Palmer," Morgan continued. "We know due to his DNA that he's related to one of the abductors. Possibly a brother of the guy who Strauss shot when she escaped. He's intelligent and organized. He's a chemist and has worked in a high security lab with Rachel Strauss. He gained the trust of Strauss' daughter, but the first thing that went wrong was her unexpected pregnancy. He demanded from her to abort the child, but she refused. We don't know why her father sent her to Europe but it's possible, Palmer had already contacted him and had made first demands or had offered to finish the job his brother failed at. Strauss made it possible for Palmer to have access to Rachel['s] European bank accounts. Palmer hired a women to plant a bomb in Erin Strauss' car. He used material that was developed by Rachel, but isn't in production yet. That leaves the question if William Strauss is involved in this or not."

"If Strauss knew about this," Prentiss continued, "Why would he allow Palmer to frame Rachel by using her credit cards? As I see it, Palmer's goal is to destroy the whole family. Strauss, his wife and their oldest daughter. Ruben had vanished from the face of the earth and his little sister Madeleine is in China these days, so there was no way he could go after them. The question is why he's doing all this right now? He should know by now Strauss survived the attack. So if her husband paid him to do the job they must have had some kind of contact. Did Garcia check Strauss' telephone records and his bank accounts? And what about the money that Tiffany received from this letter box company?"

"She's on it." Hotch said and then his cell phone rang. "It's her," he announced. "What do you have for us?"

"You sure you want to know? I'm feeling like having dug up a rat's nest. Makes me cringe to think of it. So, it seems our dear friend Mr. Strauss is the owner of this strange letter box company that paid Tiffany. I could trace it back to Europe. London to be precise."

"London?" Hotch asked.

"Yes, Sir. The money transfer took place across the world, but the server of the bank that started the transfer is located in London."

"And there's something else. I just got an email… it's from an old friend. You can find it on your cell… now."

"Thanks, Garcia."

Hotch hung up and checked his email. His forehead wrinkled, as he read the contents that changed everything.

"If I didn't know him better, I would say Gideon has lost it," Emily remarked aghast. "Why didn't he tell us before?"

"Because the CIA has their hands in this. It's their party and we're only supposed to play with them because Strauss is our boss and Gideon has a say in this." Hotch explained darkly. "Let's go back to the origin of this. We assumed Palmer is behind this, because we could link his DNA to the kidnapper of Erin Strauss. He's the connection between the abduction and the car bomb. Then we learned he's had a relationship with Rachel Strauss who happens to work in the same place in her father's company. We found out he used her accounts and has used her credit cards. So the evidence is pointing at him…"

"But everything is also pointing at her," Reid continued. "So we naturally thought he was obviously trying to frame her…"

"But all this time she was trying to frame him," Morgan finished the sentence.

Then Hotch's cell phone rang again. It was Garcia – again and she had surprising news.

Dave took Rachel to Erin's room and while he talked to the agent who was guarding Erin's room, Rachel went inside. After he was convinced no one had tried to get access to Erin's room, he drew a deep breath. He wasn't sure he wanted to see Erin. He preferred her vibrant and bitchy, but if he stayed outside it would feel like a coward. He had never been afraid of Erin when she was strong and healthy, but could he endure an unconscious Erin?

His cell phone allowed him to postpone the answer. The call came from Hotch.

"Dave, Palmer is in the hospital. He used Rachel's credit card in the cafeteria. Where's Rachel?"

"In Erin's room," Dave answered, torn between sending the agent who guarded Erin's room to get Palmer and going himself.

"Dave, listen to me…"

But before Dave could listen to Hotch, he figured out himself that something was wrong in Erin Strauss's hospital room. The red alarm lights over her door blinked frantically and he heard the unnerving sound of the alarm bell as well as the sudden development of rushing feet as the agent, a doctor and some nurses pushed him aside and rushed into Erin's room.

**~tbc~**

**I could need some feedback on this puppy. The story is slowly coming to an end and I would love to know what you've been thinking of it.  
**


	12. Chapter 12

_The end is near, my friends... Thanks to **Gemenied **for her quick work! _

**Chapter 12**

**Potomac Hospital**

Jason Gideon met Jeffrey Palmer in the foyer of the hospital. The younger man waited, leaning against a pillar with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"So, she's here?" Jason asked casually, as he approached Palmer who was wearing a lab coat and had a clipboard underneath his arm.

"Yes, Rossi brought her in," the younger man answered while his eyes carefully scanned their environment. But the people crowding the foyer didn't pay attention to them. They were just a doctor and a possible visitor who had met for a chat.

"Good. So, how's our chance to catch her red handed?"

"That depends on how brazen she is," Palmer finished his coffee and threw the paper cup in the litter next to him. "Your guys will be here shortly. They should know by now I'm here."

"They should also know by now you were just a red herring that was supposed to lead them to Rachel. Strauss himself is already arrested, which means the planned transaction with our jihad friends will fail. This was the last time Kruger Unlimited has supported a terrorism cell on American or international soil. I'm sure the Arabs have their sights on him, since they know Erin Strauss has been blown up. Ironic, isn't it? He earned a fortune with those bombs and now he has to be careful the terrorists won't use one of them to kill him."

Palmer shrugged. "He deserves to be burned alive. The important thing is we've got our sights on them. This time we'll catch the bastards before they can kill innocent people." Palmer looked at his watch. "I need to go."

"Me too."

"Your people will have a lot of questions for you. At least you should wait for them."

Gideon shook his head. "I'm sure they can answer them themselves," he said with a proud smile. "They're the best."

* * *

The moment the alarm had started, Rossi had suddenly known why he couldn't bring himself to trust Rachel Strauss. It was his instinct, the little voice in his head that warned him since he had first laid his eyes on her. He should have known earlier that Rachel never had wanted to apologize to her mother. Rachel Strauss wasn't the kind of woman who apologized for anything.

"What do you think you're doing here?" she asked crisply.

"The question is," Rossi said, emphasizing the word "question", "What you were thinking when you tried to use this here?"

He showed her the injection needle that he had found in the pocket of her jacket. "It'll be the best you tell me what's in it, before our lab has to."

They stood alone in the hospital room that was supposed to be Erin Strauss's. The bed was empty, the machines that were planted all over the room were switched off.

"Where's my mother?" Rachel asked.

"She's been moved to another room after she woke up two hours ago. Actually[,] it seems that some higher authorities thought she was better off somewhere else."

"Higher authorities?" Rachel asked doubtfully.

"Yes, see the agent on the floor outside isn't from the FBI. He's with the CIA. I talked to him, because I knew he wasn't one of us."

"She woke up?" Rachel asked, suddenly pale. "She survived it?"

Rossi raised his eyebrow, when he noticed the disappointment in Rachel's voice. Why could he never be wrong? Sometimes he hated his abilities as a profiler. He would have loved to be wrong about Rachel.

"Again. Yes. So, the CIA sent one of their female agents into her bed, hoping that sooner or later, you or your father would try to kill her – again." Rossi made a step forward, so that he had a closer look at her blank face. "Tell me, Rachel… was your father too much of a coward to do it himself? He brought the red roses this morning, but he didn't even attempt to kill her. Maybe because he noticed this little baby over here." Dave pointed at the camera at the ceiling. "So, what's in this little injection?"

"I want a lawyer."

"You certainly need one. Just for my record… why? She's your mother. She gave life to you!" The sadness that clouded his eyes cast a shadow over his face, but his dark eyes remained unforgiving and showed off his disgust.

Rachel shook her head, and now her face gave away the hatred she obviously held for Rossi and her mother.

"You don't want to know. You wouldn't understand! Your world is so small…"

"And I'm grateful for it."

When Prentiss, Hotch and Morgan stormed into the room, Rossi was busy cuffing Rachel Strauss.

"You're late," he greeted them, as he pressed a hand on Rachel's shoulder and pushed her into Morgan's direction.

"We had to take care of an old lady that had lost her dog," Prentiss commented dryly and gave Rachel a mysterious smile.

"Our analyst checked your email account. Seems the deal with your terrorist friends is off. They don't make deals with people who fuck the CIA."

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, aghast.

"Your friend Palmer… he's with the CIA. Rotten luck, honey, but I don't think even his own mother knows his real name. You picked the wrong guy!"

"That's not true… you said yourself he was related to the man who…"

Prentiss shook her head. "It was a fake to get close to you. It's possible we'll never know who the men who abducted your family really were. All we know is, we can prove now your father was behind the abduction and that the two of you did business with terrorists. You thought they could do you a favor and kill your mother, but she escaped and killed them. And she turned the tables on you and started to haunt you. It was a nice idea to use your boyfriend as a scapegoat, but you tried to con the wrong guy. The CIA has been after you for over a year now. And your mother's the glue that keeps everything together. Congrats for making me feeling sorry for her. I never thought this day would come!"

"You can't prove anything," Rachel spat bitterly.

"Of course, we can," Morgan assured her. "But I have to admit, I'm going to kick Gideon for this one. He sent us on quite a wild goose chase with this one. Move!"

He pushed her towards the door, but Rossi stopped him. "One minute. I think we should make it easier for her to leave this place." In one fell swoop he had torn up Rachel's sweater so that everybody could see the pillow she had used to appear pregnant.

"Your belly was a little too deep for a woman in the 5th month."

Prentiss gave him a look. "You know things."

"It's part of my charm. Take her out, Derek."

"My pleasure, Rossi!"

* * *

**FBI, Behavior Analysis Unit, Quantico, VA**

"I don't understand why Gideon didn't stay to talk to us," Reid said what had to be the fourth time in ten minutes. Everybody knew Reid had been the one who had suffered the most from the loss of Gideon and was still missing him the most. And probably that was the reason Gideon hadn't wanted to meet anyone of them.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Hotch answered in the same way he had answered the question before – with endless patience.

"But…" Reid started again.

"No but, Kid," Morgan said and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let me buy you a drink," he offered. "I think we all need one."

"I have to admit I really feel a little sorry for Strauss," Emily said. "Must be tough when your husband and your daughter try to kill you several times."

"She'll survive it," Rossi said lowly. "I think she has known for a long time that Rachel had turned against her. It was only a matter of time, before she would act on her hate."

"I just don't understand why she stayed with her husband," Garcia said.

"That way she could control him and what he was doing. And since he knew she was suspecting him, he couldn't try to kill her again. In the end it was Rachel who planned the killing of her mother. Strauss just assisted her when he offered her the job in England and the bank accounts."

"What a nasty bunch. I wouldn't want to celebrate Thanksgiving with them," Garcia remarked with a shudder.

"Who would?" Morgan asked and rose from his chair. "Let's go and grab a drink," he repeated his offer. "I need some fresh air."

Everybody but Rossi agreed and rose to get ready. He remained in the chair in front of Hotch's desk, lost in his thoughts. He felt old and didn't feel the need to drown his sorrows in a few drinks.

"What about you, Dave?" Hotch asked, as he straightened his tie.

"I think I'll pass. I need some rest."

Hotch gave him a questioning gaze. "You all right?"

"Yes, yes," Dave said quickly. "I just think there's someone else I need to see tonight."

Hotch understood. He nodded slowly. "That's probably a good idea."

"I'm not so sure about that, but let's hope for the best."

****tbc****

**Every comment is highly appreciated ;-)  
**


	13. Chapter 13

_I'm not sure if the number 13 is the best number for a last chapter (a little supersticious, right?) but that's the way it is. I want to thank everybody who read, reviewed and alerted this story. I had a great time writing it and would love to hear what your opinion about it. _

_Another big thank you goes to my loyal beta Gemenied. She's been very patient with me and has a added more than she thinks. _

**Chapter 13**

**_Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_**

When he entered her room, he had almost hoped she'd be asleep. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know how she felt or if she was going to survive this emotionally. From what he heard she had good chances to recover physically. That meant she would be able to walk again, but did she want that? Her husband had done and had watched people doing unspeakable things to her and she had survived it. Then she had to learn that her daughter did not only betray her country, but had become so enslaved by her father that she had tried to kill her. No one would take this lightly and he wondered how a person with Erin's views and values would move on from this mess.

He knew thinking about the future right now wasn't realistic, but it kept him from asking himself questions, he couldn't answer anyway. So just for tonight, he tried to focus on the things as they were, disastrous but not that hopeless. As proof he was armed with a bouquet of flowers. After spending half an hour of undecided shifting from one foot to the other in front of the flower shop he had settled for gerbaras, instead of roses or lilies. He had skipped the roses, because he wasn't her lover and lilies, because this wasn't her funeral.

"Hey," he greeted her lowly, when he reached her bed.

"David?" she greeted him, a little surprised. Her face was pale and there was still the annoying beeping sound of all the machines she was tied to via dozens of cables, but she was alive, awake and that only after 24 hours after she had almost died in his arms.

"Flowers?" was her next question when she saw the bouquet in his arms.

"Yes, that's what people bring with them when they pay friends a visit," he said and realized that he sounded a bit nervous.

"Friends?" she asked doubtfully and coughed.

"Well… we can argue about it another time, if you want to. Right now you should rest. You gave the doctors a hard time, you know. But that's what you do, isn't it?"

He gently placed the flowers on her belly and took her hand into his.

"You're safe now. Your husband and Rachel are under arrest… they confessed… William killed Tiffany to cover their traces. Not the best news, I know, but that's all I can tell you. Just don't shoot the messenger." The joke was lame, considering her condition, but they weren't used to lead normal conversations. He took some training to be casual around her.

She shook her head, too weak to articulate herself, but he saw a tear running down her cheek and reached out to touch her face.

"Ruben is fine though. Gideon found him, but I guess you already know this."

"He was here."

"Gideon?"

Erin nodded and added with a faked smile, "Told me everything… well, what he thought I could stomach."

"He's the sensitive kind," Dave agreed dryly. "But he means well."

"Who called you when you were in the car before the bomb exploded?" he asked.

"Rachel…"

Dave nodded. No wonder Rachel had to take the risk and try to kill her mother under his eyes. She couldn't risk for Erin to wake up and remember what had happened before the explosion almost killed her.

Dave turned and grabbed the chair underneath the window. If she was surprised by his obvious wish to stay longer, she didn't show.

"That's why I asked him for help."

She closed her eyes again and Dave gave her time to rest. After a few minutes, when he found her eyes searching for him, he asked lowly. "And why did you ask me for help? You should have gone to Hotch with your request."

Erin subtly shook her head, "I wanted you…"

"Why?" he asked again, more insisting this time.

"Just because… Aaron's so… I didn't quite deserved his help."

"That didn't keep him from tearing your husband apart today… he fought tooth and nail to get a confession out of him. I know it isn't easy to trust, when your own flesh and blood betrays you like this, but you can trust the BAU… us… and me. I wish I had known the CIA was running the show."

"I had to promise Gideon to keep my mouth shut," she answered. "We couldn't risk that they discover what we're planning… not that we knew that they would make a test run with their bombs in my car."

"I'll remind you about that when the time has come…" his voice trailed off and he squeezed her hand a bit. Her eyes closed slowly.

"You should get some sleep now."

"I guess I'll get as much sleep as I want in the next few months," she mumbled, her eyes still closed.

"Do you think I should apply for your job, as long as you're in here?" he asked jokingly. "The vision of me sitting behind your desk should be a good motivation for you to come back asap!"

"You won't dare."

Probably he wouldn't. The mere idea of occupying her position made him squirm. He was too much of a maverick to play politics.

"You need to come back," he told her lowly, unsure if she was still awake. When she didn't answer, he knew, she hadn't heard him and he was relieved.

There were things that needed to be said, but sometimes it was better to hear them rather later than sooner.

**~The End~**


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